MCB Quantico -- The gravel parking lot that was Freeny Field opened for use June 6, 2013, the same day the parking lot across the street from the Gray Research Center closed.
The new lot was built over Freeny Field to provide parking for Marine Corps University while the two biggest lots that have served the university are closed for construction.
The one across from the research center on Broadway Street, which had 354 spaces, will be home to a three-deck, 700-space parking garage next year. The 118-space lot between the research center and Upshur Avenue had already been shut down and is serving as a staging area for the construction of two additions to the university: the John Warner Center for Advanced Military Studies and the Simmons Center of Marine Corps History. The coming parking garage will support the university’s expansion, and the lot that is now a construction staging area will eventually become part of the school’s quad.
Kim Crawford, project manager for Naval Facilities Engineering Command, said the new 350-space lot where Freeny Field used to be will remain a parking lot indefinitely, and the nearby, 105-space overflow lot north of the intersection of Martin and Broadway streets will also provide augmented parking during construction.
Walkways between the Freeny Field lot and the buildings of the MCU campus will be lighted well before sunset starts coming early, Crawford said. “By the end of July, lights should be up, if not before.”
Two handicapped spots have been added on Broadway Street near the intersection with Upshur Avenue, and a number of handicapped spots remain available behind Breckenridge Hall, Crawford said.
The new parking garage is scheduled to be open in March of next year, but Crawford said it would likely open later than that, noting that the lot at Freeny Field was originally expected to be open by late April.
— Writer: mdicicco@quanticosentryonline.com